Jeannie's Travel Addiction

May 9, 2015

Originating in Krakow, is the Christmas tradition of making  Nativity Cribs, or Szopka,  as it is called in Polish.

Back to the 19th  century (excluding times of war) there would be and still are competitions for the creation of the best.  Anyone is welcome to compete and there are usually  between 120 – 160 entries.

Each Szopka is a  miniature recreation of  the Nativity of  Jesus using an architecture ( usually of a one of the city’s churches)  of Krakow as the backdrop.

I think they are all beautiful and just fell in love with them:

This one was on display in St. Andrew’s  church along with:

They come in all sizes and can be bought in one of the Museum Shops  and sometimes where souvenirs  can be found. Some are inexpensive and some can be  quite costly, depending on the size and the material it is made of.

Hope you enjoyed them also!  Thanks for reading !